Ice Skating
by Golden Wattle
Summary: Matthew decides to teach Dan how to ice skate. Things don't go according to plan. Fluff/ one-shot.


Originally posted on deviantART a while ago.

Please review.

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**Ice Skating**

Dan stared down at the ice skates warily. They didn't seem so easy to balance on, having only blades to connect his feet to the ground. He shivered slightly as another gust of wind blew through the small shelter, a roof offered to shelter those off the ice and those still putting their skates on offering no protection from the chill. He sighed, and began removing his boots; slowly as if in hope the inevitable would never happen. Somehow, Matthew had convinced him ice-skating was an activity well worth doing when he had invited Dan over for a visit.

The guy has a seriously good way of convincing people, while still seemingly innocent and oblivious, he thought, shaking his head with a sigh. He pushed his boots to the side, and continued to stare at the boots, willing them to disappear. I've abseiled down steep cliff sides, and managed to wrestle a crocodile, and these shoes make me nervous, he thought, laughing lightly to himself.

"Are you ready, Dan?" Matthew asked from the ice, already ready.

"Nearly", he replied, hoping the smile on his face didn't give anything away, or seemed too fake. Matthew seemed convinced and walked away contentedly. Well, walking being said lightly, as it is near impossible to walk properly when one is wearing ice skates. He seems so balanced, Dan thought, watching the other go. Matthew glided across the ice easily, almost as though he'd done it for years. Still watching, Dan slipped his feet into the skates, and began buckling them as Matthew had shown him earlier. When he was done, he stared down at his feet. Let's see if I can do this, he thought, pushing himself up with his hands. He reached out and grabbed the chair of the arm to steady himself, and began walking awkwardly out of the small shelter. He shivered slightly, reaching out to support himself on one of the posts. Eventually he got out onto the ice, then realizing exactly how difficult it was to balance.

Matthew spotted Dan stumbling slightly, and went over to help. Well, he was feeling exceedingly mean today, and his "help" consisted of mocking. He stuck his tongue out, in a way that Dan didn't think he could. A teasing, "I'm better than you", kind of way. Coming from him, it was most unexpected, because he usually stayed quiet and was supportive. "Bet you can't catch me", he chimed, skating away as fast as he could. Dan, still unsteady on ice, began to slowly skate after him but fell, landing on his backside. He let out a groan of pain.

Matthew, seeing his friend in distress, skated back to help. "Are you okay?" he asked, somewhat amused. Dan looked up at him, and nodded. Matthew put his hand out to help him up.

"Yeah, I think so", he replied, accepting the hand. Unsteadily, he managed to stand. The Canadian smiled, and began skating by himself again, creating small circles around the Aussie. Dan began to mimic Matthew's style of skating; step, glide, step, glide, but fell again, cutting his bottom lip. "Shit", he muttered, reaching up to his mouth. He gasped when he felt a stinging sensation. Taking his hand away, he saw some blood.

Matthew skated back over, and saw the Australian was bleeding. He lent down and looked at Dan's mouth closely. After a while, he tilted Dan's head back for an even closer look.

"It doesn't look too bad", he commented. "But we should probably get you off the ice". Dan nodded his head, his mouth a little too raw to speak. Matthew held an arm out again, and Dan took it, standing up slowly in fear of falling again. The Canadian wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him, and led him off the ice to the abandoned shelter. "Sit", he demanded, pointing at the chair. Dan sat promptly, and waited for Matthew to get the first aid kit. He stared down at his shoes, wishing all sorts of curses on them, even death. He knew it was illogical to wish death upon inanimate objects, but it didn't stop him.

Matthew returned a little while later, carrying the kit in his hands. He put the small box down next to Dan, and opened the lid. Disinfectant wipes? Where are they? He thought, pushing through the other things. He found them, right at the bottom, but they had all dried up. He sighed, realizing he'd forgotten to buy some new ones. Having no other choice, he wiped Dan's mouth with them. When he could eventually see the lip, he noticed that it had swollen slightly, but the cut was only small. "It looks okay" he commented, stroking a thumb on Dan's bottom lip. Dan shuddered a little, pulling his head back. "Did that hurt?" Mattie asked, concerned. Maybe it was deeper than I thought.

"No", Dan replied stubbornly. "I'm fine". Mattie frowned in concern.

"Are you sure?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. Dan merely nodded. Mattie smiled slightly, and leaned over with the intention of pecking him on the cheek kindly. Dan, however, turned his head to the side at that exact moment. They both blinked in surprise. Mattie felt his cheeks warm and jumped away. "S…sorry…" Dan simply smiled.

"It's okay", he said, tugging on a strand of Mattie's hair gently. He then stroked his cheek kindly. "I've been planning on doing that all day now".


End file.
